Prepayment attachment for electric meters



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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

, J. ST-RAOHAN 81; J. NIVEN. PEEEAYMENT ATTACHMENT TCE ELECTETC METERS.

No. 595,446. Patented DCC. 14, 1897.

(No Model.) 4 sheets-sheet 3.

J. STRAGHAN sp' J; NIVBN. PREPAYMENT ATTAGHEMENT FOR ELECTRIC METERS.

No. 595,446. l Patented Deo. 14, '1897.

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(No Model.) 4 sheets-sheet 4.

J. STRACHAN an J. NIVEN. PREPAYMENT ATTACHMENT FOR ELECTRIC METERS.

No. 595,446. Patented Deo. 14,1897.

Fig. s.

' v UNITED Y, STATES PATisrmr OFFICE.

JOHN STRACHAN AND'JAMES NIVEN, -OF SAGINAW, MICHIGAN.

EREPAYMENT AITACHMENTFOR ELECTRIC METERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 595,446, dated December 14, 1897. Application ned May 11, 1897. serial No. 635,988. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom ill/.may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN STRAOHAN and JAMES NIvEN,citizens ofthe United States, residing at Saginaw, East'Side, in the county of Saginaw and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Prepayment Attachments'for Electric Meters; and we dol declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention has relation to improvements in electric-light meters, and more particularly to the class in which a coin is deposited in the meter and the current automatically turned on until an amount of current corresponding to the value of the coin has been utilized.

The object of the invention isto provide a simple reliable automatic device for this purpose; and to this end the novelty consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of the same, as will be hereinafter more fully described,and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the same reference-characters indicate the same parts of the invention.

Figure lis a perspective view of our im-y proved prepayment electric-current meter. Fig. 2 is a front elevation with the cover removed. Fig. 3 is a top plan view. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a similar view on the line 5 5 of '6 7, fixed to the non-conducting plate 8 `and projecting into the path of said arm, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 7. 9 represents a train of spring-actuated'gearing, the'escape- Wheel 10 of which is provided with a series of ratchet-teeth 11, arranged to engage a pawl 12, fixed on the rock-shaft 13, which is also `plate 1.

Fig. 6 is a transverseview on the from the solenoid when the latter is demag- .y

netized.

A driven shaft 17 in the gearing system carries a switch-bar 18, the opposite ends of which are provided with the spring contactiingers 19 and 20, which traverse an annular mutilated'conducting-ring 2l, and a radial arm 22, fixed on the outer end of said shaft 17 and at a right angle to the bar 18, is arranged to alternately connect with the segmental contact-plates 23 and 24, arranged oppositely to each other and in the path of said arm 22.

25 represents the fixed coin-chute, its lower end terminating immediately above a movable chute 26, formed on the back face of a plate 27, pivoted on a stud 28, iixed in the base- 29 represents a vertical armature fixed at a right angle te said pivoted plate and arranged to travel to and from the poles of the electromagnet 30.

3l represents a lever'pivoted on a stud 32, t

30 is energized it draws its armature 29 and plate 27 carrying the coin-chu te 26, away from said lever 31, which releases the coin, which in turn releases said lever and permits the spring contact-arm 35 to withdraw from the fixed contact-point 36, and at the same timev restore the lever 31 to its normal position.

Referring to Fig. 7, 37, 38, and 39 represent the terminal posts of the meter. v

40 and 41 represent the main circuit, and 40 41' the lamp-circuit. l

- 39 is a conductor connecting the post 39 with the main conductor 40.

When a suitable coin A is dropped into the coin-chute 25, it falls into the mouth of the pivoted chute 26, where it is arrested bythe ICO projecting end of the lever 3l, and the weight of the coin tilts the outer end of said lever upward, which presses the spring contactarm 35 against the fixed contact-point 36, which closes a circuit beginning at the point 36 over the conductors a and a to the solenoid 15, thence over the conductor b to the conductor c and over it to the binding-post 39, conductor 39' to the line-wire 40, returning over the line-wire 41 to binding-post 37, thence ovel conductor d, through the motor-meter 3 and conductor cto the contact-plate 46, thence over conductorfto the shaft 17, arm 18, and its spring contact-fingers 19 to the segmental contact-plate 43, thence over the conductor g to the spri n g contact-arm 35, thus completing this circuit and energizing the solenoid 15, which attracts the armature 14 and pawl 12, thereby releasing the wheel 10 on the springactuated shaft 17, causing the latter to carry the switch-bar 18 in the direction of the arrow, the spring contact-finger 19 passing off of the contact-plate 43 and bridging the contact-plates 44 45, thus dividing the current, one portion traversing plate 45, conductors h d, solenoid 15, and conductors b and c to post 39, the other portion of the current passing from plate 44 over conductor 7c, magnetv 30, and conductor t' to conductor c, where it joins that portion coming from contact-plate 45. Thence the reunited current passes to post 39, thence over conductors 39 and 40 to source of energy, the current passing therefrom through conductors 41, post 37, conductor d, meter 3, conductor e, plate 46, conductor f, switch-arm 18 and 19 to plates 44 and 45, thereby causing said magnet 30 to attract its armature 29 and pivoted chute 26, which Withdraws the coin A from the lever 31 and allows it to fall through the chute and into a suitable receptacle, at which time the lever 31 opens the solenoid-circuit between the post 36 and the contact-finger 35. \Vhen the finger 19 on the switch-bar 18 has passed the ends of the plates 44 45 and made contact with the plate 47, the magnet and the solenoid-circuit are both opened and the chute 26 falls back toits normal position ready for the reception of another coin, and the armature 14 on being released carries the pawl 12 into the path of the teeth on the wheel 10 and stops the rotation of the shaft 17 and switch-bar 18, thereby permitting its contact-finger 19 to rest on the plate 47, while the contact-finger 2O on the opposite end of said switch-bar rests upon the contact-plate 46. This connects the meter and the lights in the same circuit and the lights may now be operated, said circuit being formed by the line-wire 41 to post 37, over conductor d, through meter 3 and conductor c to plate 46, through switch-bar 18 to plate 47, and over conductor m to post 38, thence over lamp-circuit 41 40' to main line 40. In the meantime the contact-arm 22 has been carried around by the shaft 17 and brought into contact with the plate 23, which is connected to the fixed contact-point 7, the curbar 18 and arm 22.

rent passing over the conductor n and through the contact-arm 5 and conductors o, 7L, and ct' to the solenoid 15, thence over conductors b c to post 39, and thence over conductor 39' to mai n wire 40, returning over main wire 41, conductor d, meter 3, and conductor e to plate 46,thence through contact-1in ger 2O to switch- As soon as the motormeter has rotated the shaft 4 to carry its hand from 0 to 5 on the dial 48, the contactarm 5 on said shaft comes in contact with the point 7 and it closes the solenoid-circuit just described, thereby attracting the armature 14 and releasing the ratchet-wheel 10 to allow the spring actuated shaft 17 to rotate the switch-arm 18 until the contact-arm 22 has passed over and beyond the plate 23, which opens the solenoid-circuit at this point, releasing the armature 14, which throws its pawl into the path of the ratchet-wheel 10 and stops the further rotation of the shaft 17, thereby leaving the sWitch-barwith its fingers 19 20 resting on the contact-plate 43 and the insulated plate 21. It will be observed that the plate-sections 19 and 2l of the mutilated ring 21 are insulated and disconnected from the remaining portions of the ring and simply form a track for the spring-fingers on the switch-bar to travel around on. The meter is now at rest and ready for the reception of another coin, which upon being deposited in the chute closes the circuit at 35 36, as in the first instance, and the operation is identical with that first described except that when the switch-bar 18 has closed the meter and lampcircuit through the contact-plates 46 47 the contact-arm 22 now rests upon the segmental contact-plate 24, which is in series with the solenoid 15, through the conductor p, fixed contact-point 6, arm 5, and conductors o, 7L, and a'.

While We have shown our prepayment device applied to a Shallenberger ampere-hour meter, it is equally applicable to any form of recording motor-meter.

Although We have specifically described the construction and relative arrangement of the several elements of our invention, we do not desire to be confined to the same, as such changes or modifications may be made as clearly fall within the scope of our invention Without departing from the spirit thereof..

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a coin-operated electric meter, a fixed coin-chute, a pivoted coin-chute, a lever projecting into said pivoted coin-chute, in the path of the coin; a train of spring-actuated gearing carrying a rotating switch-bar formin-g part of the lighting-circuit, and controlled by a paWl operated by a solenoid, and means substantially as described for energizing said solenoid by the action of said coin-actuated lever, as and for the purposerset forth.

2. In a coin-operated electric motor-meter,

IOO

IIO

coin-chute, a pivoted coin-chute, a lever projecting into the path of said pivoted chute,

a circuit-closing device arranged in the pathof one end of said lever, a spring-Operated I5 switch located in the lighting-circuit, an electromagnet shunted in said circuit, and adapted no operate said pivoted coin-chute to release the coin, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.y In testimony whereof we here unto affix our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN STRACHAN. JAMES NIVEN.

Witnesses:

LESLIE B. HANCHETT, H. L. BRINTNALL. 

